Journalism
Destination reporting, cultural features, road trips, music, food and nightlife.
About Jay
Journalist.
Publisher.
Media strategist.
Jay Gentile is an award-winning journalist, publisher and media strategist with more than two decades of experience across editorial, audience development and brand partnerships. His work moves between reported storytelling and commercial strategy—bringing an editor’s instincts to ideas, collaborations and campaigns built to connect with people.
His work has appeared in The Washington Post, CNN Travel, Lonely Planet, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, Outside, Frommer’s, Thrillist, VICE and Rough Guides.
The work
One career. Three ways into the story.
Publishing
Founder and publisher of Chicago INNERVIEW Magazine, the independent music magazine he ran for 17 years.
Partnerships
Media, destination and experiential strategy connecting brands with audiences through credible ideas.
Field notes
A career built across both sides of the page.
- TodayCool Material · Interluxe Group
Media, luxury travel, hospitality and experiential partnerships shaped by an editorial point of view.
- National media experienceThrillist · Consequence of Sound
Senior editing, daily publishing, branded content and national agency and brand partnerships.
- Chicago · 2003–2020Founder & Publisher, Chicago INNERVIEW Magazine
Editorial direction, partnerships and business operations for an independent music and culture magazine.
- ColoradoNews Editor, Estes Park Trail-Gazette
Tourism, local government and Rocky Mountain National Park reporting—including a Colorado Press Association award for Best Feature Story.
Beyond the byline
Books, broadcasts and trusted work.
Jay is the author of The Last Magazine, a forthcoming memoir and media archaeology project about the 17-year life, COVID-era death and strange AI afterlife of Chicago INNERVIEW. He also contributed to Lonely Planet’s hardcover guidebook The Unique States of America, provided expert commentary for Steve Dolinsky’s Pizza City USA, and has appeared on WGN Radio and NPR affiliate WBEZ.
“Jay’s a seasoned pro and rare jack of all trades: reporter, writer, editor, and manager.”Rich Brest · Rundown
“He understands sales and the nuances that come with managing relationships. Most importantly, he just flat-out hustles.”Sean Ryan · Rotary Digital
He founded and published Chicago INNERVIEW Magazine, a local music publication, for 17 years and is based in Chicago.
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